CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 11 Parkland College women's basketball team controlled visiting Illinois Central College in a 75-64 win on Wednesday, January 31. The Cobras (17-3) (5-1) never trailed the Cougars (14-8) (4-2) in the win, outscoring their opponents 36-14 in the paint and holding ICC to 31.7 percent shooting from the field. Sophomore Rhylea Johnson led the Cobras in scoring with a career-high 18 points in the win.
 
"Rhylea was on point tonight," head coach Jean Demosthenes said after the game. "We've been working on some of the stuff she showed in this game, and tonight was the night she put it all together."
 
"We played some of the best defense I've seen our girls play," Demosthenes added. "Defense wins championships and that's what we have to do if we want to be a championship-contending team. The girls did a great job."
 
Parkland opened the game with an 8-1 lead, causing ICC to call a timeout with 5:48 to go in the first quarter. The visitors closed the gap to 15-11 heading into the second quarter, trimming the Parkland lead to 18-15 with just under five minutes until halftime – but the Cobras closed out the half with a 30-20 lead. In the second half, Parkland continued to build its lead, taking a 39-23 lead with 7:34 on the clock following a Rhylea Johnson bucket. The Cougars put together a quick 6-0 run to force a Cobra timeout midway through the quarter, with their lead cut to 43-32, but Parkland righted the ship and went into the fourth quarter with a 54-42 lead. The Cobras comfortably stayed in front early in the final quarter – and back-to-back threes from freshman Siarah Brown gave Parkland a 69-54 lead with 3:51 to go, but the Cougars stormed back with a 9-0 run, forcing another Cobras timeout, now leading 69-63 with 1:30 remaining. Sophomore Alyssa Cole buried a three out of the timeout to stop the bleeding, and the Parkland defense tightened up as the Cobras closed out the Cougars 75-64.
 
Statistical Overview:
Rhylea Johnson: 18 points, 7 rebounds
Alyssa Cole: 17 points, 9 rebounds
Abby Shepard: 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
Siarah Brown: 10 points, 3 rebounds
Megan Janson: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists
 
Up next, the Cobras host No. 12 Lake Land College on Saturday, February 3, in a Region 24 clash. Tip-off against the Lakers (17-4) is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Donald C. Dodds Jr. Athletic Complex.